Two more Marathon stories

Yeah, you've probably already read and heard enough about the race to last you until, oh, next April, but here are a couple of interesting posts from runners.

Alison explains what it's like to drop out of the race because her legs just couldn't go any farther:

... I dropped out right at 16. I would have dropped out sooner, but I was shooting for a particular T station. I got on the T right away, but it took a long time to get back into Boston. I was cold because of the air conditioning and I felt a little like I might throw up, but I was fine.

When we finally got back to Boston, I got caught in spectator traffic on the sidewalk on Hereford. Until this point, I was okay with my decision, but I was literally stuck on the sidewalk for 15 minutes and couldn't move in any direction. I was already feeling crappy - I was 10 feet away from people who were about to finish the marathon and everyone was screaming for them. It just made me feel even worse. And I was feeling claustrophobic, and after a while I just started crying.  ...

Scott, meanwhile, did finish:

Mile 20...the dreaded Heartbreak Hill. For most trail runners, 450 vertical feet isn't that big of a deal, but even the mountain goats would appreciate the psychological heartbreak of this one. Not only does it kick in at mile 20, but it's one of those hills that creeps up slowly and never allows you to see the top until you've been working at it for over a mile. The crowd kicked into high gear to get everyone up that hill, but it was taking casualties left and right. But with their deafening support, I had no trouble getting over the top. The reward was some great downhill sections, and the raging party at Boston College that presented the biggest crowds on the course. One runner stopped to get a BBQ chicken breast and a beer - sounded like a great idea to me. ...